Response to criticism about the response to Katrina
I've been hearing lots of rumblings recently about how slowly and ineffectively the relief to Katrina has been in relation to what happened in the Tsunami in Asia. I'd like to throw my two cents in about what it was like here after the Tsunami so people can get an accurate comparison.
I'll focus on Banda Aceh since that was the hardest hit and center of the Tsunami. In Banda Aceh, all roads in and out were completely smashed for hundres of miles in each direction. All telephone communication was completely gome. The sea port was destroyed making it almost impossible to land ships. There was no communication out of Banda Aceh immediately after the Tsunami. In fact, it was 3 or 4 days before anyone heard anything about what had happened there and even then people weren't believed because it was too unimaginable. The US and Singapore militaries got there after day 4 and were distributing water and food to major areas of Banda Aceh. In many areas up the coast, survivors lived on coconut milk for over a week before anyone was able to make it there with just water.
It was about 8-10 days before anyone besides a few military people were able to arrive. Most immediate relief people started arriving about two weeks after the Tsunami to try and get food and water to the people. It took a good month or more until regular food distribution systems were set up. Remember that all stores, supply lines and stockpiles were destroyed so there was no food available for anyone.
Two months after the Tsunami they were still pulling over 500 bodies a day out of the wreckage just in Banda Aceh. A couple of months after the Tsunami the road to Medan was reopened. After 5 Months a temporary very poor road was constructed to connect Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.
To this day the road between Banda Aceh is barely passible, in fact, there is a limit of 5 metric tons on the road because the temporary bridges are starting to break. Houses are just now starting to get built in some areas while others are still months away. Schools, hospitals and public buildings are only in the planning stages and most programs are just now getting going.
I've heard it reported that it will take 9 weeks to pump all the water out of New Orleans. There is 200 miles of coastline here 8 months later that is still under water.
I say all of this to help people realize that things are not going slowly with Katrina. It only happened 8 days ago. Most people couldn't have gone more than a day or two without food or water and most have been evacuated to Texas or somewhere else. The fact of the matter is that people are being helped as quickly as possible. When tragedies like this happen, things get very difficult for a while. The best thing to do is figure out how you can help, not complain.
Katrina is a terrible tragedy as well but the relief people should not be criticized for their slow response when in actuality they are moving MUCH faster than happened here in Aceh. My prayers go with the people affected by Katrina and I hope they can be as patient, friendly and helpful as the people here in Aceh.
I'll focus on Banda Aceh since that was the hardest hit and center of the Tsunami. In Banda Aceh, all roads in and out were completely smashed for hundres of miles in each direction. All telephone communication was completely gome. The sea port was destroyed making it almost impossible to land ships. There was no communication out of Banda Aceh immediately after the Tsunami. In fact, it was 3 or 4 days before anyone heard anything about what had happened there and even then people weren't believed because it was too unimaginable. The US and Singapore militaries got there after day 4 and were distributing water and food to major areas of Banda Aceh. In many areas up the coast, survivors lived on coconut milk for over a week before anyone was able to make it there with just water.
It was about 8-10 days before anyone besides a few military people were able to arrive. Most immediate relief people started arriving about two weeks after the Tsunami to try and get food and water to the people. It took a good month or more until regular food distribution systems were set up. Remember that all stores, supply lines and stockpiles were destroyed so there was no food available for anyone.
Two months after the Tsunami they were still pulling over 500 bodies a day out of the wreckage just in Banda Aceh. A couple of months after the Tsunami the road to Medan was reopened. After 5 Months a temporary very poor road was constructed to connect Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.
To this day the road between Banda Aceh is barely passible, in fact, there is a limit of 5 metric tons on the road because the temporary bridges are starting to break. Houses are just now starting to get built in some areas while others are still months away. Schools, hospitals and public buildings are only in the planning stages and most programs are just now getting going.
I've heard it reported that it will take 9 weeks to pump all the water out of New Orleans. There is 200 miles of coastline here 8 months later that is still under water.
I say all of this to help people realize that things are not going slowly with Katrina. It only happened 8 days ago. Most people couldn't have gone more than a day or two without food or water and most have been evacuated to Texas or somewhere else. The fact of the matter is that people are being helped as quickly as possible. When tragedies like this happen, things get very difficult for a while. The best thing to do is figure out how you can help, not complain.
Katrina is a terrible tragedy as well but the relief people should not be criticized for their slow response when in actuality they are moving MUCH faster than happened here in Aceh. My prayers go with the people affected by Katrina and I hope they can be as patient, friendly and helpful as the people here in Aceh.
posted by Randall Knutson at
5:35 PM
3 Comments:
Agreed but there are important differences. Unlike the tsunami there were days/years of advanced warning that this could happen so there was much more time to prepare and have the proper planning in place. Then, when evacuating the city before the storm hit - they left the poor, elderly, and disabled behind. Rather than having and executing an evacuation plan to help these people leave - they were simply left behind. These people needed transportation out of the city and none was provided. Then, they sent thousands of people to the Superdome and City Ccenter but had no supplies of food and water for them when they got there? Again, where was the disaster planning? With all the years of advance planning - this is the best we can do? They knew there was a good chance the storm was going to hit NO and they knew that if it did the levees would break so why was the military not already getting mobilized and on its way before the storm instead of waiting 4 days? They are estimated that 80-90 percent of the deaths in NO did not come directly from the storm itself but came after. People were dying in Hospitals and Nursing homes because there were not evacuated ahead of time and they ran out of water/food/medicine for them.
By
Anonymous, at 9:39 PM
I think you bring up some very valid points. I guess my main point is that instead of blaming people, especially when they are just starting to help, we should be encouraging them. It is very discouraging for relief workers when people are saying they aren't doing enough and the people they are trying to help are mad at them. I'm also trying to point out that saying we did better for the tsunami is just wrong. There could have been more preparation but that is true everywhere and every time a disaster hits. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Also remember, it usually is a month or more before we have a clear idea of what actually happened. Remember the news right after 9/11? If we watched the broadcasts now we would probably be struck by how much misinformation was being said. After the Tsunami too, most of the news was just wrong. Keep that in mind as we are hearing all the rumors about what is happening.
By
Randall Knutson, at 8:31 AM
very true , randall , i think that most americans see themselves as above many of the things that happen to the rest of the world . i believe that from time to time our pompous attitude about things are brought in check by our HEAVENLY FATHER. unfortunately many innocent people are affected when this happens . america is a very prideful nation in themselves as well as many churches . until we see ourselves as humble children we may well prepare for more of the same . just a thought ??
scott foster
By
Anonymous, at 9:02 AM
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